Conventionally, when a printing apparatus receives data from a host apparatus such as a scale, a bar code reader, a medical equipment and the like, item data included in the received data is input to each input item of a template of the printing apparatus. The data received from the host apparatus includes item data, a delimiter, a print start command and the like. Therefore, a user preliminary registered a delimiter character, a print start character and the like which are used by the host apparatus such that the printing apparatus automatically analyzes the item data, a delimiter, a print start command and the like based on the data received from the host apparatus. After such initial setting has been performed, the printing apparatus automatically analyzes the item data, the delimiter, the print start command included in the received data whenever the printing apparatus receives data from the host apparatus. Therefore, the template where the item data included in the received data has been input to the input items can be set to be in an appropriate state.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 5-199990 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-330688 disclose a printing apparatus which automatically analyzes data received from a host computer.
However, if a configuration of data received from the host apparatus is unknown to the user, it is difficult for the user to preliminary register a delimiter character, a print start character and the like which are used by the host apparatus. Therefore, even if the printing apparatus receives data from the host apparatus, the item data, the delimiter or the print start command included in the received data cannot be identified correctly. Thus, the template where the item data included in the received data is input to the input items cannot be set to be in an appropriate state.